Russia said on Tuesday it had canceled the release of Death of Stalin, a dark, satirical movie from British director Armando Iannucci, saying many

Russians would find it an insulting mockery of the country’s Soviet past.

The film, which focuses on backstabbing and infighting among the Soviet leader’s closest allies as they vie for power immediately after his 1953 death, had been privately viewed by culture ministry officials and advisers.

Vladimir Medinsky, the culture minister, said Tuesday that his ministry had received a number of complaints after the showing, which had prompted him to withdraw its general release license.

He said he had asked legal experts to make extra checks on its content.

“Many people of the older generation, and not only, will regard it as an insulting mockery of all the Soviet past, of the country that defeated fascism and of ordinary people, and what’s even worse, even of the victims of Stalinism,” Medinsky said in a statement.

He said his ministry had told the film’s distributor that it was inappropriate to release the film on the eve of the 75th anniversary of the victorious World War II Battle of Stalingrad, in which so many Soviet soldiers died fighting for a

city that bore Stalin’s name.

But he said the distributor had not heeded the warning.

“We don’t have censorship,” said Medinsky. “We are not afraid of critical and unpleasant assessments of our history. But there is a moral line between the critical analysis of our history and desecrating it.”

Russia holds a presidential election on March 18 that incumbent Vladimir Putin is expected to easily win. Putin, who has dominated Russian politics for the last 18 years, has put patriotism at the center of his rule.

​’A complex figure’

Stalin was repudiated by the Soviet Union after his death. He is recognized as responsible for the deaths of millions, from policies that included the forced collectivization of farms that caused famine, and from a succession of purges that saw mass executions and imprisonment at an archipelago of camps.

But the wartime Soviet leader is still associated by many Russians with the country’s greatest achievements. Putin has called Stalin “a complex figure” and has said attempts to demonize him were a ploy to attack Russia.

Some of the people who attended the film’s private viewing told Reuters they were disgusted.

“It’s a despicable film,” said Nadezhda Usmanova, head of the Russian Military Historical Society’s department of information. The group was involved in organizing the pre-release screening.

“It’s a bad film, it’s a boring film, and it’s vile, repugnant and insulting,” Usmanova told Reuters.

Elena Drapeko, deputy head of the culture committee in the State Duma, the lower house of Parliament, said she found “extremism” in the movie.

“It’s an effort to breed bad blood into the social harmony that has been reached in Russian society,” said Drapeko, who earlier in her career was a popular Soviet and Russian actress.
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Marc Cohn is rightly proud of his Grammy Award but it’s not the most valuable thing in his house.

The trophy sits in a heaving bookcase right above a copy of Bob Dylan’s “The Lyrics.” That thick volume was once owned by Dylan, who presented it to Cohn with a personal inscription when they toured together in 1992.

As you might guess, it’s priceless to Cohn. “My kids all know, in case of a fire, I grab the kids, they grab the book,” says the singer-songwriter, laughing. “The Grammy is on its own.”

Songs and lyrics – not pretty hardware – have always been the fuel for Cohn, the singer-songwriter best known for “Walking in Memphis” from his self-titled debut album.

When Cohn talks about the night in 1991 when he won the Grammy for best new artist – besting Boyz II Men, C+C Music Factory, Color Me Badd and Seal – he cherishes the connection he shares with his musical influences.

“It was very, very poignant and meaningful to be on that stage and accept an award that my heroes had won in the past,” he says. “The night itself was otherworldly. I felt like I was in a waking dream.”

These days, Cohn does between 70-100 concerts a year and just got off a tour with Michael McDonald. In 2016, he released “Careful What You Dream: Lost Songs and Rarities” and the bonus album, “Evolution of a Record.” He co-wrote the song “Paint You a Picture” with David Crosby and is working on a new album that he hopes will be out by the end of the year.

His connection with the Grammys endures – he co-wrote half the songs on William Bell’s album “This Is Where I Live,” which won the best Americana album Grammy in 2016. This year, a tune he co-wrote for the Blind Boys of Alabama is nominated for best American roots performance.

“It feels particularly sweet to be talking about the Grammys but not just as something in my past,” he says. “It’s been a wonderful full-circle thing for me.”

Cohn has always charted his own musical course, enjoying creative highs and fallow periods. Along the way, he’s watched record stores disappear and the power of record companies chip away. Most upsetting to him is the demise of the LP.

“The art form I fell in love with, that made me want to be a songwriter – namely, the album – is pretty much gone. Nobody listens that way anymore. But it’s the only way I know how to work,” he says.

Cohn grew up in Cleveland, the fourth son of four boys. He had amassed years’ worth of songs for his 1991 piano-led debut album, which also contained “Silver Thunderbird” and “True Companion.”

He was heralded as an important American artist and a Grammy nod followed – a big slap on the back for a singer who was an avid watcher of the broadcast. At Cohn’s home, everyone knew to stay quiet while the show was on.

“The Grammys were the only game in town if you were a young person predisposed to being passionate about music. There was no MTV. There was no VH1. There was no anything,” he says.

“The only time I saw Paul Simon, heard him talk, saw the way he walked, got to really watch Stevie Wonder – just all these amazing people – that was always on the Grammys.”

After his win, Cohn wrote a clutch of new songs relatively quickly. But they were different from his debut – more guitar-driven – and he had to fight pressure from his label, Atlantic, which wanted him to reproduce the sound of his earlier hits.

“I think I experienced what every artist who is signed to a major record label and has success with their first record. The pressure is on to have another hit,” he says. “Whether it wins a Grammy or not, the record companies aren’t that interested. They’re interested in how many millions can you sell now.”

Cohn is more interested in following good music. He’s released five studio albums, plus a greatest hits and a live album, including “Join the Parade,” which deals with Hurricane Katrina and his own near fatal shooting.

Rising singer-songwriter Chelsea Williams joined Cohn on a few shows in Park City, Utah, last year and calls him a fantastic storyteller, both in song and word. The first night, he unexpectedly pulled her onstage to duet on a Dylan song.

“Getting to see Marc Cohn do his thing so brilliantly and beautifully and getting to see people really, truly appreciate that was very inspiring and encouraging,” she says.

Cohn this year plans to tour with the Blind Boys of Alabama and in February will return to City Winery in New York to headline his annual Valentine’s Day concert with guests such as Jackson Browne and Shawn Colvin.

“I’ve got an audience that comes to see me when I come into town and I’m able to do what I love for a living,” he says. “As complicated as it is now, that to me is still an incredible blessing.”
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She waited 90 years and saw a trail of men and Disney princesses get there before her, but on Monday Minnie Mouse finally got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Minnie Mouse made her movie debut in the 1928 film “Steamboat Willie,” and her co-star and beau Mickey Mouse got his bronze plaque on Hollywood Boulevard back in 1978.

But it took another 40 years for Minnie, who appeared in more than 70 animated movies, to join him on the Walk of Fame.

“In true Hollywood fashion, she delivered a memorable performance but Mickey got all the credit,” Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Bob Iger said at the ceremony unveiling the 2,627th star.

“After 90 years in show business, it’s certainly about time you got your star,” Iger said.

Minnie has been celebrated as a fashion icon, pop culture staple and a character who brings joy to children worldwide, and an actor dressed as the cartoon character waved and batted her eyelashes throughout Monday’s ceremony.

“This is the best day ever. Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she squeaked from the red and white polka dot stage.

Pop star Katy Perry, also dressed in red and white polka dots for the occasion, said she had been a fan of Minnie since the age of two or three.

“Minnie-and-Mickey-printed diapers – that was my first memory ever and it turned into a lifelong devotion,” the “Firework” singer said.

“No one rocks a bow, or the color red, quite like her,” Perry added.

Walk of Fame honorees are selected by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.

Women have stepped up their campaign in recent years for equal pay in Hollywood and better representation behind and in front of the camera.

It took Minnie much longer than her boyfriend to receive Monday’s accolade because Disney only nominated her last year, Walk of Fame producer Ana Martinez told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

“Maybe he was more popular back in the day,” Martinez said.

Donald Duck, Tinker Bell, Snow White and other Disney characters were immortalized on the Walk of Fame before Minnie.
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U.S. singer-songwriter Neil Diamond, one of pop music’s all-time best-selling artists, has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and plans to retire from touring, his official website said on Monday.

The onset of the disease has made it difficult for him to travel and perform on a large-scale, a statement on the site said, adding he will be cancelling upcoming concert dates in Australia and New Zealand and offering refunds.

“It is with great reluctance and disappointment that I announce my retirement from concert touring. I have been so honored to bring my shows to the public for the past 50 years,” Diamond said in the statement, offering apologies to those who purchased tickets to his upcoming shows.

Diamond, known for hits including “Sweet Caroline” and “Cracklin’ Rosie,” said he plans to remain active in song writing and recording.

Later this week, Diamond will turn 77 and on Sunday the Recording Academy plans to honor him with its Lifetime Achievement Award.

Diamond has sold more than 130 million albums worldwide and 38 of his singles have made it to the Top 40, according to the academy.

Grammy-award winner Diamond, a fixture in American pop music since he began recording in the 1960s, has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

“My thanks goes out to my loyal and devoted audiences around the world. You will always have my appreciation for your support and encouragement,” Diamond said.

“This ride has been — so good, so good, so good — thanks to you,” he said.
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“The Lord of the Rings” director Peter Jackson is going from Middle Earth to the Western Front, transforming grainy black-and-white footage of World War I into 3-D color for a new documentary film.

 

Jackson’s movie, announced Monday, is among dozens of artworks commissioned by British cultural bodies to commemorate 100 years since the final year of the 1914-18 war.

 

The New Zealand-based director of “The Hobbit” and “Lord of the Rings” series has restored film from the Imperial War Museum using cutting-edge digital technology and hand coloring, pairing it with archive audio recollections from veterans of the conflict.

 

He said the aim is to close the 100-year time gap and show “what it was like to fight in the war.”

 

“We all know what First World War footage looks like,” Jackson said in comments broadcast Monday. “It’s sped-up, it’s fast, like Charlie Chaplin, grainy, jumpy, scratchy, and it immediately blocks you from actually connecting with the events on screen.”

 

“But the results we have got are absolutely unbelievable. They are way beyond what I expected. This footage looks like it was shot in the last week or two, with high definition cameras,” he added.

 

The film will premiere during the London Film Festival in October before being broadcast on BBC television. Every school in the U.K. will also receive a copy.

 

The film is part of the government-backed 14-18 Now project, which has presented works by more than 200 artists over four years to remember a conflict in which 20 million people died.

 

Other works premiering this year include a large-scale performance piece by South African artist William Kentridge about African porters who served in the war; processions to mark the 100th anniversary of some British women winning the right to vote; and a performance celebrating wartime homing pigeons that includes birds fitted with LED lights.

 

“Slumdog Millionaire” director Danny Boyle — who helmed the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony — will create a mass-participation work to be performed on the anniversary of the Nov. 11, 1918, armistice that ended the war.
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Film star Cate Blanchett, singer-songwriter Elton John and Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan received awards at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Monday for their work raising awareness about human rights issues.

Blanchett, an Australian, received a Crystal Award for her work with people who have fled their homes. British singer-songwriter John received his for his charitable work with his AIDS foundation. Indian Khan’s was in recognition of his work championing the rights of children and women in India.

The Crystal Award is given, by the WEF to artists who make a positive change in society.

The awards were presented at a ceremony in the village of Davos, in the Swiss Alps, where some of the world’s top policy makers and executives have begun gathering for the annual meeting.

Blanchett, who has won two Oscars, was named a goodwill ambassador for United Nations refugee agency UNHCR in May 2016.

As part of her role, the actor has travelled to Lebanon and Jordan to meet refugees displaced by the Syrian conflict.

She warned of the consequences if more was not done to help people forced to flee their homes.

“Lost generations of uneducated, disenfranchised and displaced children not only represent a vast loss of potential but also a threat for future global security and prosperity,” she said.

More than a million people have fled parts of Africa and the Middle East to Europe in the last few years.
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Bill Cosby has performed in public for the first time since a sex abuse scandal embroiled him in 2015, telling stories and honoring old friends in his hometown on Monday as a retrial looms in his criminal sexual assault case.

 

The 80-year-old entertainer took the stage Monday night at a Philadelphia jazz club for his first show since May 2015. His last comedy tour ended amid protests as about 60 women were coming forward to accuse him of drugging and molesting them over five decades, something he has denied.

 

Cosby arrived at the club on the arm of his spokesman Andrew Wyatt. He wore a gray hoodie printed with the phrase “Hello Friend,” something his late son, Ennis Cosby, often would say.

 

Cosby is scheduled for an April 2 retrial on charges he drugged and molested a woman at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004. He has pleaded not guilty and remains free on bail. His first trial ended with a hung jury last year. Jury selection for his retrial will start March 29.

 

Cosby’s spokesman notified reporters of the comedy performance about two hours before he was to take the stage at the LaRose Jazz Club. The show was part of a program honoring jazz musician Tony Williams.

 

The performance is Cosby’s latest step back into the spotlight he’s mostly shied from since his December 2015 arrest.

 

Two weeks ago, Cosby invited reporters to tag along as he ate dinner with old friends at a Philadelphia restaurant.

 

Over the weekend, Cosby’s social media accounts featured photos of him visiting a barber and a cafe in the area and showing support for the Philadelphia Eagles, who won Sunday’s NFC Championship game against the Minnesota Vikings and secured a spot in the Super Bowl.
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The New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles have advanced to the National Football League’s Super Bowl after winning their respective conference championship games Sunday.

In the American Football Conference championship, the underdog Jacksonville Jaguars led for much of the game, including holding a 20-10 advantage with nine minutes left to play.

But New England quarterback Tom Brady responded with two touchdown passes, both to receiver Danny Amendola, to bring the Patriots back for the 24-20 win.

“Yeah, we played a lot better in the second half,” Brady said. “We just couldn’t get the drives going, and obviously weren’t very good on third down and just got into a little tempo stuff in the second half and played a little bit better. So, it was a great win. Happy for our team and just a great, great game.”

There was far less drama in the National Football Conference championship with the Eagles soundly defeating the Minnesota Vikings 38-7.

The Vikings scored their lone touchdown on the first drive of the game, but were outmatched from there as Eagles quarterback Nick Foles threw three touchdown passes to deny Minnesota the chance of playing essentially a home game in the Super Bowl.

The game will be played February 4 in Minneapolis. 

Oddsmakers have put New England as the favorite to win its second consecutive Super Bowl and its third in a span of four years. Philadelphia has never won a Super Bowl, losing twice, including to New England in 2005.
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Women and inclusivity continued to dominate the awards season conversation Saturday at the Producers Guild Awards, where Guillermo del Toro’s fantastical romance The Shape of Water won the top award and honorees like Jordan Peele and Ava DuVernay gave rousing speeches to the room of entertainment industry leaders.

The untelevised dinner and ceremony, held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., is closely watched for its capacity to predict the eventual Oscar best picture winner, but this year the “awards race” seemed to be the secondary show to the more urgent questions facing the industry, including the crisis of representation and sexual misconduct.

The Producers Guild on Friday ratified guidelines for combating sexual harassment in the entertainment industry, and everyone from DuVernay to Universal Chair Donna Langley and television mogul Ryan Murphy made mention of the changing times and the work that still needs to be done.

“If we want more brilliant films like Get Out … we need to have many different perspectives including equal numbers of women, people of color, people of all faiths and sexual orientation involved in every stage of filmmaking,” Langley said in accepting the Milestone Award, noting that she was only the third woman to do so.

It was not the only time Get Out got a special mention, despite not winning the top award. Peele also won the Stanley Kramer Award.

Del Toro was not present to accept the PGA’s Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures, due to the health of his father.

His film was up against 10 others this year, including Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, which won big at the Golden Globes earlier this month, Lady Bird, Get Out, Dunkirk, The Post, Call Me By Your Name, The Big Sick, I, Tonya Wonder Woman and Molly’s Game — many of which were represented by actors and directors in attendance, such as Timothee Chalamet, Christopher Nolan, Margot Robbie, Patty Jenkins and Greta Gerwig.

In television, The Handmaids Tale picked up best drama series, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel won best comedy series, Last Week Tonight With John Oliver won best TV variety series, Black Mirror for long-form TV, Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath for nonfiction television, Sesame Street for children’s program and Carpool Karaoke for best short-form program.

The pre-announced honorees stole most of the show, however.

Norman Lear presented the Stanley Kramer Award to Peele invoking the award’s namesake in speaking of Get Out, which Lear proudly said he’s seen three times.

Peele said he was proud to call Lear a friend.

“I want to say, you can use my body for your brain anytime,” Peele laughed, before taking a more serious turn in his speech.

Peele likened the idea of “the sunken place” in the film to what is happening in the world right now, referencing Haiti, the water crisis in Flint, and President Donald Trump’s criticisms of athletes for protesting on the field.

“What really scares me … is the silencing of voices,” Peele said “Get Out is my protest against that.”

Peele ended on a hopeful note, however.

“Finally unique voices are breaking through,” he said. “Diverse and honest storytelling opens eyes and hearts. We can break out of the sunken place together.”

​Selma and A Wrinkle in Time director Ava DuVernay gave a similarly poignant speech in accepting the Visionary Award,

“It’s an odd moment, you have a women’s march and you have a country with a government shut down,” DuVernay said. “We’re in the midst of times that will be long remembered.”

DuVernay said what is important is, “The way we work. The people we actually choose to see. That we choose to amplify in the moments where no one is looking.”

“Don’t think of diversity as a good thing to do,” she added. “Think of it as a must. An absolute must.”
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Bobsled and Nigeria are not two words typically used in the same sentence. But soon they will be heard together often. Bobsledders Seun Adigun, Ngozi Onwumere and Akuoma Omeoga will not be heading to February’s Winter Olympic Games just to be a “feel good” side story. They say they want to win something they can bring back to West Africa. VOA’s Mariama Diallo reports on the historic participation of the Nigerian bobsledding team in this year’s games.
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Afghanistan’s arts and architecture were once the pride of Asia. However, more than four decades of war have left many of the country’s traditional crafts on the verge of extinction. Now a Britain-based organization, Turquoise Mountain, is working to preserve Afghan heritage in the capital’s still surviving commercial district, Murad Khani. VOA Deewa service’s Munaza Shaheed reports from a recent trip to Kabul.
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